Sparta got a deal with Dreamworks in 2001 and released their debut EP Austere in early 2002. They released their debut full-length album Wiretap Scars on August 13, 2002. The album is mostly influenced by their previous work with At the Drive-In, which is a contrast from The Mars Volta, formed by the other two ex-members of ATD-I, which departs entirely from post-hardcore and instead focuses on progressive rock or psychedelic rock. This album is also a lot cleaner and more accessible than At the Drive-In's experimentation.
On May 25, 2003, Ward's cousin Jeremy, the sound manipulator for The Mars Volta, died of a heroin overdose. Hinojos would leave Sparta in 2005 to join TMV as their secondary guitarist and filling in Jeremy Ward's position as sound manipulator. He was replaced by Keeley Davis (Engine Down, Denali).
Sparta's second full-length album Porcelain was released July 13, 2004 and peaked at #60 on the Billboard 200. The first single released from the album was "Breaking the Broken," for which a music video was recorded that received much airplay.
In January 2006, they announced that they had signed a deal with Hollywood Records, which will release their third album Threes on October 24, 2006. The album peaked at #83 on the Billboard 200. It's the first album with guitarist Keeley Davis and its debut single was "Taking Back Control."
In June 2008, Ward stated that Sparta is on hiatus and without a label; he would focus instead on his alternative country band, Sleepercar, which released its debut album West Texas on April 22, 2008. Three years later, on August 3, 2011, Ward stated that Sparta was back in action and would play their first show in November in El Paso. That comeback would be short, as in January 2012, At The Drive-In reunited for a series of shows, splitting up once again at the end of the year. In January 2016, At The Drive-In reunited for the second time. However, days before the tour start in March 2016, it was announced that Ward had been replaced in the band by his former Sparta bandmate Keeley Davis.
Sparta would come back for a second time in 2017, with a line-up consisting of Ward, Miller, Gabriel Gonzalez and Cully Symington (Beach Slang, Cursive). They would release their fourth album, Trust the River, on April 10, 2020 on Dine Alone Records.
There is another band ith the sane name:
2. Sparta was also a NWOBHM band from Mansfield. They formed in 1980, and released two singles, plus participated on a five way split album before they split up. Hades Records released a compilation on vinyl in 2006. This compilation contained all their previously released songs, plus a few more.
Cut Your Ribbon
Sparta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're so clever, did you find me?
In the backroom, in your closet
In your suitcase, there's no running
I will find you, like the glacier
Cuts the seabed, leaving canyons
In your cheekbones, passing through you
In the shadows, scenes undo you
Cut your ribbon
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night?
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night?
Face it, can you hear it?
Violation, you'll remember
It's all harmless, incidental
Disengaging, these thoughts break you
Conscious, vicious
It has found you, monovision
Synapse fails you
Frequent syndrome
Stings and burns through
Monovision then dilutes you
Cut your ribbon
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night?
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night?
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night?
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night?
(Can you escape these motives?)
(Can you escape these motives?)
(Can you escape these motives?)
Cut your ribbon
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night?
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night?
The song "Cut Your Ribbon" by Sparta talks about the feeling of being stalked or followed, whether it be by a person or an emotion. The lyrics suggest that the person being followed is aware of the situation, as they ask if the other can hear them and if they have been found. There is a sense of desperation in the repetition of "don't go running, I will find you," adding to the feeling of being trapped. The imagery of a glacier leaving canyons in someone's cheekbones suggests that this is not a fleeting feeling, but something more solid and long-lasting.
The chorus talks about cutting the ribbon and it falling from the stream, perhaps representing the release of whatever is following them. The question "how can you sleep at night" adds a haunting quality to the song, suggesting that the situation is affecting the person being followed in a deep way.
The final section of the song with the repeated use of "terror, horror, suspect," adds to the intensity of the situation. The mention of tears hints at the emotional toll this is taking on the person, even as they continue to feel the weight of whatever they are being followed by.
Overall, "Cut Your Ribbon" is a haunting and intense song that captures the feeling of being trapped and followed.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up
Become aware of what's going on around you
Can you hear me?
Do you understand what I'm saying?
You're so clever
You have a sharp mind
Did you find me?
Have you discovered my hidden location?
In the backroom
Hiding in the rear part of the building
In your closet
Concealed in your wardrobe
In your suitcase
Disguised inside your baggage
Don't go running
Don't try to escape
I will find you
I am determined to locate you
Like a glacier
Persistently moving towards you, slowly but surely
In the seabeds
Deep in the oceans of your emotions
Leaving canyons
Forming deep impressions in your soul
In your cheekbones
Reflecting in your facial expressions
Passing through you
Penetrating your entire being
Like a baby
Like an innocent child
Getting splinters
Being hurt and affected by the world
Cut your ribbon
Break free from your constraints
And it falls from the stream
Your old life fades away
Everything, everything
Your whole world changes
How can you sleep at night
How can you be at peace with yourself?
As it falls apart
As your life crumbles
Anything, anything
Your options are limitless
Terror, horror, suspect
The fear you feel when you suspect something is wrong
The more it takes to kill, suspect
The harder it is to get rid of the feeling
The more it takes to kill, suspect
The more you try to eliminate it, the stronger it becomes
The more it takes to kill, suspect
The more you investigate, the more suspicious you become
More tears
More sorrow and sadness
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jim Ward, Matthaeus Guenther Miller, Pablo Hinojos, Tony Hajjar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@webg5996
Wake up
Can you hear me?
You're so clever
Did you find me?
In the backroom
In your closet
In your suitcase
There's no running
I will find you
Like the glacier
Cuts the seabed
Leaving canyons
In your cheekbones
Passing through you
In the shadows
Scenes undo you
Cut your ribbon
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night
Face it
Can you hear it?
Violation
You'll remember
It's all harmless
Incidental
Disengaging
These thoughts break you
Conscious, vicious
It has found you
Monovision
Synapse fails you
Frequent syndrome
Stings and burns through
Monovision
Then dilutes you
Cut your ribbon
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night
Can you escape these motives?
Can you escape these motives?
Can you escape these motives?
Cut your ribbon
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night
@LS-ct4oj
Massively underrated band
@samuelnougat7592
Yes very
@webg5996
Wake up
Can you hear me?
You're so clever
Did you find me?
In the backroom
In your closet
In your suitcase
There's no running
I will find you
Like the glacier
Cuts the seabed
Leaving canyons
In your cheekbones
Passing through you
In the shadows
Scenes undo you
Cut your ribbon
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night
Face it
Can you hear it?
Violation
You'll remember
It's all harmless
Incidental
Disengaging
These thoughts break you
Conscious, vicious
It has found you
Monovision
Synapse fails you
Frequent syndrome
Stings and burns through
Monovision
Then dilutes you
Cut your ribbon
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night
Can you escape these motives?
Can you escape these motives?
Can you escape these motives?
Cut your ribbon
As it follows you
Everything, everything
How can you sleep at night
As it falls apart
Anything, anything
How can you sleep at night
@OneMoreRedNightmare
Thank you for posting lyrics. ❤️
@beaserker
Bows politely. At your service.
@Moscans15
2022 and still jams the same. Takes me back!
@codiserville593
I only more recently found it, but do attest. It indeed jams
@stevenewsom3269
Loved this record back in high school. Sparta,dredg, and glassjaw tour was quite a thrill.
@thinkforyourself5672
I swear that tour was Snow-Core but I could be crazy. I remember that tour. Saw them all in NYC. Any Glassjaw show I could get to, I got to.
@isaiahmastriannamusic5338
God that must've been ridiculous.